Hacker

by Malorie Blackman

  ‘You must have just missed each other,’ Aunt Beth said.

  ‘Yeah, we must have,’ Gib said slowly.

  ‘Gi … Gi …’ I wriggled in Sebastian’s grasp but I couldn’t get the words out.

  ‘OK. ’Bye, Aunt Beth,’ Gib said.

  ‘NO! Don’t go!’ I screamed inside.

  ‘’Bye, Gib.’

  I heard the front door close.

  Sebastian let go of me so suddenly, my legs almost collapsed under me. If it wasn’t for him holding onto my arms, I would have fallen. Aunt Beth came running up the stairs.

  ‘You just wait – both of you. You’ll get what you deserve!’ I shouted, still struggling to get free.

  ‘Not from you, you little snot,’ Sebastian said from behind me. ‘If you think we’re going to miss out on seven million quid ’cause of you.’

  Seven million … I turned my head to stare at him.

  ‘Something else you didn’t know,’ Sebastian said icily.

  ‘What do we do now?’ Aunt Beth asked, glaring at me. ‘When Gib gets to his house, he’ll know we were lying.’

  ‘Get on the phone and speak to his mum and dad,’ Sebastian said. ‘Tell them that Vicky did leave but then came back here rather than walk all the way home. Tell them we’ll look after her so she’ll be sleeping here tonight.’

  ‘What about Vicky going to school tomorrow? We can’t let her go until we’re out of the country,’ Aunt Beth said.

  ‘By the time anyone knows she’s missing tomorrow, we’ll be long gone. Let’s just make sure David and Laura don’t come knocking at our front door tonight,’ Sebastian said.

  ‘You wicked cow!’ I yelled at Aunt Beth. ‘You’re supposed to be Mum and Dad’s friend. You’re both supposed to be Mum and Dad’s friends. You just wait …’

  ‘No friendship is worth seven million pounds.’ Sebastian smiled like the Cheshire cat at me.

  ‘You skunk! You rotten toad! You’ll get yours,’ I hissed at him.

  ‘I never meant for your father to get involved but he was snooping. He was getting much too close. And then there was that checking program of his,’ Aunt Beth said. ‘I’m sorry it had to be David, I really am.’

  If I could just get at her for a few seconds. I wanted to tear her hair out.

  ‘What do we do with her?’ Aunt Beth eyed me as if I was something unpleasant she’d just stepped in.

  ‘She can stay locked up until we leave for Rio,’ Sebastian replied.

  ‘Sebastian, I’m not sure …’

  ‘If we let her go, she’ll go straight to her mum and dad or the police. Do you want that?’

  Aunt Beth frowned for a moment. She shook her head, then turned to walk downstairs. Sebastian half pulled, half carried me after her.

  ‘You just wait – both of you!’ I shouted again, struggling all the time.

  Aunt Beth led the way into the kitchen and opened a door. Gloom and a stale, musty smell seeped out into the kitchen. There was a brick wall about a metre behind the door, and I thought it was a cupboard, but then I saw the few steps which led down to the cellar.

  ‘Give me your phone,’ demanded Beth.

  I thought about denying I had it, but Beth knew very well that I carried it everywhere because it had my music on it. Sebastian’s eyes narrowed like he was daring me to deny I had it, so I reluctantly handed it over. Then Sebastian shoved me through the door, before slamming it shut behind me. Turning quickly, I tried to push open the door but I heard the bolt slide home. It was pitch black and smelt dusty and foul. I banged on the door with my fists.

  ‘Let me out! Let me out this minute!’ I shouted.

  ‘Phone from upstairs or they might hear her shouting,’ I heard Sebastian say.

  I banged even louder until the sides of my hands were aching. I was sure I must have broken every bone in them, but still I hammered on the cellar door. Then I had an idea. I backed up as far as I could before charging like a demented bull for the cellar door, shoulder first – like in the movies. It hurt like blazes!

  ‘I won’t do that again,’ I mumbled, rubbing my shoulder.

  Gingerly, I felt around for a light switch or light cord or something. My fingers met with something stringy and fine. A spider’s web! I screamed, wiping my fingers on my jeans. I hate spiders. I felt around again. My fingers touched what felt like a piece of string hanging down.

  It’s too sturdy to be another spider’s web, I thought, hope rising up like a flare inside me.

  I pulled at the string. The sudden light blinded me, making me blink rapidly. I looked around. Wooden steps led down into a small room, half hidden by long shadows. I ran down the steps. Perhaps there was another way out. Once down there, I saw that there wasn’t even a window, never mind a door. The cellar was tiny, about twice the size of a broom cupboard. A tatty anorak and a long scarf hung from the coat hooks attached to the wall on my right. The floor was covered with stone tiles. There were cobwebs everywhere – over the old, broken bits of furniture, in the corners, even over the small, empty wine-rack which stood against one wall. Looking down to my left, I saw a lever (gas?), a couple of meters and an electricity fuse-box. I sneezed, then sneezed again. The dust was getting up my nose. That was it! No way was I going to stay in there all night.

  ‘LET ME OUT!’ I shouted. I ran up the stairs and pounded on the door again.

  That didn’t last long. My hands were hurting too much to keep it up. I listened, but couldn’t hear a thing.

  Locked up. I was really locked up! In a musty, dusty cellar. And I had no idea when – or even if – I’d be let out. I sat down on the top step and rubbed my battered hands.

  ‘You just wait, Sebastian,’ I muttered. Before, I’d been more angry than scared but now that was beginning to change.

  ‘Gib, where are you?’ I whispered. ‘Someone, anyone, where are you?’

  An hour later, I was banging on the cellar door again.

  ‘Let me out! I need to go to the loo!’ I shouted.

  Nothing. Not a word, not a sound. Sebastian and Aunt Beth wouldn’t go out and leave me, would they? I battered even harder at the door.

  ‘I’m not joking. I need to go to the loo. I’m busting!’ I shouted.

  Still no answer.

  My hands were throbbing by now. I had to find something to beat at the door with. My hands couldn’t take any more. I walked slowly down the stairs again. There had to be some way of getting them to let me out.

  Come on Vicky, think, I told myself.

  Then I saw it. The electricity fuse-box … I stared at it, a mega-brilliant idea forming. Normally, I wouldn’t touch the thing. Electricity scared me and the thought of getting fried didn’t appeal at all, but I’d once seen Mum turn off the electricity throughout our house when she wanted to change our living-room dimmer switch that had packed up. I squatted down to look at the fuse-box. There were several detachable fuses that I didn’t like the look of and a large on/off switch to the right of the fuses.

  I wasn’t sure about this, but then my bladder made up my mind for me. I really did need to go! Taking a deep breath, I flicked up the on/off switch. Instantly the cellar was totally dark. I’d forgotten that I’d be in the dark too. I felt my way to the stairs and groped my way up them. It was so dark, it felt like being swallowed whole. I tried to hold on to my courage, as well as other things.

  Within moments, I heard footsteps in the kitchen outside the cellar door. I waited as I heard the door bolt being drawn back. The door flew open and a pale yellow circle of light from a torch shone straight into my face.

  ‘I need to go to the loo,’ I repeated.

  ‘What have you done?’ Aunt Beth asked furiously.

  Behind her I could make out the shadowy figure of Sebastian. He looked even more long and thin and weird in the dark – and that was saying something.

  ‘She’s turned off the electricity,’ Sebastian said furiously. He pushed me out of the way and went down to turn the lights back on. This time I closed my ey
es against the sudden light, opening them slowly after a few seconds.

  ‘You do that again and you’ll be sorry.’ Sebastian pointed his finger at me.

  ‘If you don’t let me go to the toilet, then you’re the ones who will be sorry,’ I declared.

  Aunt Beth took me by the arm, her fingers like pincers and pulled me upstairs. Sebastian followed us. I could feel his glaring eyes boring into my back. I wiped my hand over my sweaty forehead, but I didn’t turn around. Once in the bathroom I locked the door.

  ‘Don’t think of trying any funny stuff,’ Aunt Beth called after me. ‘I can unlock the door from this side and the bit of the window that does open is far too small for you to get through.’

  So much for that idea! I looked around. The two windows were both made with thick frosted glass and double-glazed at that. There were tiny slatted openings at the top of each window but that was it. The only way I could get through them was by turning into some kind of insect.

  Minutes later I opened the door.

  ‘I’m not going back in that cellar again. I don’t care what you do,’ I said. ‘It’s cold and full of spiders and it stinks.’

  ‘You’ll go where we put you,’ Aunt Beth said.

  ‘Not in the cellar I won’t,’ I argued, my muscles tensing. ‘If you put me back in there, I’ll keep turning the electricity off.’

  Sebastian emerged from their bedroom.

  ‘Oh no you won’t. Not if you want to see your family again,’ Sebastian said silkily.

  I stared at him. ‘You can’t keep me in the cellar the whole night,’ I protested.

  ‘Watch us,’ Sebastian retorted. ‘We’re not going to let you ruin the sweetest plan anyone’s had this century. Not now we’ve come so far.’

  ‘When we get to Rio and we’re safe, I’ll phone your parents and tell them where you are, but until then, the cellar is your home,’ said Aunt Beth.

  ‘You’re not going to leave me locked up until you get to Rio, are you?’ I asked, aghast.

  ‘We’ve got no choice,’ Aunt Beth said. ‘Why didn’t you keep your nose out of it, Victoria? Your dad would have been cleared once Sebastian and I got to Rio, I would have seen to that.’

  Sebastian muttered under his breath.

  It sounded like ‘If I had my way …’

  It’s now or never, I thought.

  I made a break for it, rushing between Aunt Beth and Sebastian to leg it downstairs. I got halfway down before Sebastian’s vice-like fingers grabbed hold of my arm.

  ‘Where do you think you’re going?’ he hissed.

  He shoved me downstairs and back into the cellar. I pushed at the door as Sebastian locked it.

  ‘YOU JUST WAIT!’ I shouted, wishing I could think of something more threatening to say.

  ‘No more tricks with the electricity meter or you can rot in there,’ Sebastian warned. ‘The only part of you anyone will ever find is your skeleton.’

  I rubbed my arm where Sebastian had dug into me with his fingers. I’d have bruises there tomorrow but that was the least of my worries. I looked around. There had to be something I could do.

  Think, Victoria, I told myself sternly.

  I wasn’t getting very far. Closing my eyes with frustration, I flopped down onto the top step and tried to think about what I should do next. But the only thought in my head was that I was in major trouble. Deep, deep trouble, Again!

  ‘Don’t just sit here! Do something!’ I told myself sternly.

  I searched for something with which to pry open the cellar door. There were lots of models of stupid planes and tanks and some of the biggest spiders I’d ever seen in my life, but precious little else. The few old bits of furniture I picked up crumbled in my hands. Furiously, I went back up to the door and pushed and pounded on it and shouted until my throat hurt and my hands ached and I was hoarse.

  I got precisely nowhere.

  On each hour and half hour, I tried banging on the door again, but I knew that was more for my benefit than anyone else’s.

  It was Aunt Beth and Sebastian all the time. My head was spinning. We’d got it completely wrong. Aunt Beth and Sebastian had set up my dad. I had to do something. I just had to. But what?

  At last, exhausted, I sat down, my back against the door. And I cried myself to sleep.

  When I woke up, it took me several seconds to remember where I was. I stood up abruptly, knocking my head against the door handle.

  ‘A great way to start the day!’ I grimaced, rubbing my head.

  I pulled the light cord to switch off the lights. It was like trying to look through black ink. I couldn’t tell if it was daylight or dark outside. And it was so quiet. I pulled the cord again, as much to hear the click it made as to switch the light back on.

  From my muzzy, pounding head, I knew I’d slept for a good few hours – and not very well. I tried to shake out my legs and arms but I felt stiff as cardboard all over and my mouth felt like the bottom of a bird cage. I was dying for a glass of water. I tried the door. Still locked. I glanced down at my watch, wondering how long I’d slept. It was ten to eight. I looked, then stared at it.

  Ten to eight in the morning? I couldn’t have slept that long. But I must have. Seeing it was daytime by my watch but not seeing any daylight made me feel much worse. It was as if I could no longer half convince myself that I was dreaming and would wake up any second. This was real. I was seconds away from panicking. The only thing that stopped me was that I was cold and uncomfortable and growing more and more angry by the second. How could I have fallen asleep?

  I couldn’t stay here all day, I just couldn’t. Aunt Beth and Sebastian were leaving for Rio soon and if I didn’t stop them, they’d get clean away.

  I pushed at the cellar door. ‘Help me! Please, help me!’ I screamed, over and over.

  I hammered on the door again. Minutes passed. It was no use. Neither Sebastian nor Aunt Beth came to tell me to shut up. I wondered if they had left the house already. I thought about the electricity fuse-box. That was one way to find out … But turning it off now might not do any good. They wouldn’t need lights during the day and they’d probably already had their breakfast. But I had nothing to lose. Face set, I ran downstairs and flicked the electricity switch to ‘off’. Darkness swallowed me up again. I clambered up the stairs, knowing I wouldn’t be able to stand the darkness for too long.

  ‘Let me out … right this second!’ I started banging on the door again. Over and over. I began to feel like I was being smothered, suffocated. I had to get out.

  The door opened so suddenly, I almost fell flat on my face. The sudden daylight overwhelmed me, making me blink rapidly. I lashed out blindly, determined to get away from Sebastian and Aunt Beth.

  ‘Vicky, it’s me!’ Gib ducked my flailing arms.

  I blinked and focused for the first time. There, standing in front of me was my scabby, ugly brother, who’d never looked better in his life.

  ‘Gib! Am I glad to see you,’ I said tearfully. ‘I could kiss you!’

  ‘I’d rather you didn’t,’ Gib said seriously.

  I wanted to laugh and cry all at once. ‘I’ve been locked up all night. I thought I’d never get out.’ I swallowed hard past the huge lump in my throat. ‘Where are Sebastian and Aunt Beth? Is it safe?’

  ‘I waited until they both went out before sneaking in,’ Gib said. ‘What’s going on? Why’d they …?’

  ‘How did you manage to get in the house?’ I interrupted. I looked around nervously, afraid Aunt Beth and Sebastian would appear at any second.

  ‘I went round the back. I thought I’d have to break a window or something until I remembered where they keep their spare key. Do you remember when they were joking with Dad and Mum about keeping it in the shed at the bottom of their garden under those huge sacks of fertilizer. I’m glad I thought of it. I must admit, I didn’t fancy a spot of breaking and entering. What’s that? About five years in the nick?’ Gib wrinkled up his nose.

  I smiled shakily a
t Gib. I was beginning to feel a little less tearful.

  ‘Why would they leave their key?’ I sniffed.

  ‘Well, you couldn’t get at it so it wouldn’t have done you much good,’ Gib pointed out. ‘Besides, I don’t think they’ll have much use for their kitchen-door key once they’re in Rio. Vicky, are you all right?’

  ‘Nothing a long, hot shower wouldn’t sort out.’ I tried to smile.

  I felt smelly and dirty and I couldn’t stop looking over my shoulder. Then I realized something. This was the first time Gib had ever asked me how I was feeling. Somehow just that made me feel better.

  ‘Are you sure you’re OK?’

  ‘I’m fine,’ I replied.

  ‘I knew there was nothing wrong with you,’ Gib said smugly.

  ‘What d’you mean? I’ve been locked up in this grotty cellar all night,’ I said with indignation.

  ‘No, I was talking about that story Aunt Beth gave me last night – and I believed her. She phoned Mum and Dad to say you’d come back to her house and you’d be spending the night with them. She said that Sebastian would drop you off at school today,’ Gib snorted. ‘I didn’t realize she was lying until I’d almost fallen asleep.’

  ‘What made you realize?’ I asked.

  ‘Your jacket. I remembered that when Aunt Beth was telling me you’d gone home, your jacket was still over the banister. She should have made sure I couldn’t see it,’ Gib told me.

  I glared at him. ‘If you realized she was lying, why didn’t you tell Mum and Dad, you little squirt?’

  ‘I was just about to, but then I started wondering why Aunt Beth had lied,’ Gib began. ‘I realized you must have found out something important. Something to do with Aunt Beth and Dad and Dad’s bank. I thought long and hard about it but I reckoned you’d be safe – at least until they set off for Rio. They were obviously up to something and I didn’t want to scare them off or warn them that I was on to them. Besides, I didn’t know what they were up to, so what could I tell Mum and Dad that they would believe? I could hardly say that I thought they were kidnapping you! I wasn’t to know they’d lock you up in the cellar all night.’

  ‘True. But I still want to throttle you!’ I scowled. ‘I’ve been locked up in that spider trap for ages. It was horrible. Like being shut up in a coffin.’